Esther's Blog: That's what she said

InstaFriday

2012-02-03T21:24:54Z

1. Two years later, I got around to framing our wedding invite, I love it
2. Getting home early from work, means an evening at the dog park for Bear
3. Peaks Frozen Yogurt they have every type of topping you could think
of and Reese’s Peanut Buttercup Yogurt! Did I mention we took home a full tub of the
Cheesecake flavored yogurt too?
4. Friday mornings…great for so many reasons, including the Mountains peaking out!

check out more great pictures over here and link up to InstaFriday

dirty thirty

2012-02-01T19:36:25Z

I am a terrible friend
it was my dear friend Leah‘s birthday on Friday and I completely forgot to give her a shout out
probably because I was too excited that she came up for a visit!
what can I tell you about Leah….

I love Leah (which reminds me of the ever famous, I love lamp quote from Steve Carell
she is such a sweet and giving friend and she makes me laugh, a lot
we share a passion for Jesus, gossip magazines, fashion, blogging and cooking
but I think what really drew us together is our shared love for reality TV
I mean who else can I call up to discuss the latest RHOBH episode?
I like to stock Leah and her glamorous California life on her lovely blog
because I miss her
and I am just counting down the days until she moves back up to Washington and we become neighbors again
and have babies together
until then…

Happy Dirty Thirty Leah!
I love you!!

meal plan

2012-01-31T16:51:29Z

Monday-Homemade Meatballs & Spaghetti (a la hubs, best meatballs ever!)

Tuesday-Zuppa Toscana Soup

Wednesday-Grilled Brauts w/green side salad

Thursday-Sushi/Small Group Party

Friday-Out

Saturday- Friends for dinner/Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ Sweet Potato Fries, Green Beans and Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats (you have to make these!!)

Sunday- Superbowl Food (TBD)

lipstick pink

2012-01-30T17:12:48Z

I had some extra gift cards leftover from Christmas
and Gap was having some great sales this past week
I have been eyeballing this pink skirt ever since I saw it on Erika (she got hers at Anthropologie)
I went ahead and got it
and love it so far
and even though the summer months are at least 6 months off
I am really looking forward to pairing it with a white tank and sandals
vacation in March?

salted brown butter crispy treats

2012-01-27T18:50:33Z

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well.

*These are THE most delicious rice crispy treats I have ever had! The nuttiness from the browned butter and the pinch of salt at the end, really take this mediocre dessert to the next level! I made this for a small group event last night and they were the hit of the party.

lost & found

2012-01-26T17:23:42Z

my sweet friend Paige gave me a beautiful pair of pearl earrings as a gift for my wedding
I saved them to wear on my wedding day
and every day after that
and then about a year ago I lost one of them
I was so mad at myself for loosing it and sad that I wouldn’t have them to pass along to my own daughter one day
my sweet husband new I had lost one and being the sweet husband that he is
got me a matching one for Christmas this year
BEST present ever!!!
you can’t even tell the difference
I love that man

magazines

2012-01-26T16:04:57Z

I got really spoiled this year
three new magazine subscriptions
which means at least one new one every 2 weeks
if you know me, you know that I love a good food/gossip magazine to peruse through on the plane, at home or on the beach (my favorite of course)
so I was thrilled when I got these three magazine subscriptions, some as gifts, one I bought for myself
Bon Appetite
this is my first time getting this magazine and I love it
I bought it from Mamasource which offers discounts on lots of items including discounted magazines
$10 for a whole year, can’t beat that
I have seen a bunch of the recipes on food blogs that I read so I know it’s got some good recipes
Everyday Food
I got this one as a gift from a friend for my birthday
it has a lot of great tips for cooking and some great recipes I still go back too
I like how small the magazine is, it makes it convenient to pop it in my purse and take on the bus with me
Cooking Light
my sweet husband got me this one as an early Christmas present (after a gentle email nudge from myself )
this is a tried and true magazine
I like that it has a lot of great tasting recipes that are also healthy
they are never sugar free or fat free, just delicious and healthy ways of preparing food
I think he got this one off of Mamasource as well, $10 for 2 years

there you have it, what I am cooking out of at the moment
how about you, have any good food magazines you are loving right now? I am always open to suggestions!

1st birthday

2012-01-23T23:19:57Z

my sweet little niece had her first birthday party yesterday
she looked darling in her little tutu and flower headband
she LOVED her first cupcake
and I had fun pinching her cheeks and filling her tummy up with sugar
I think it worked

butternut squash

2012-01-23T21:24:34Z

I have a new favorite vegetable to share with you
Butternut Squash
and it is so delicious
in the past I had been a little uncertain with the vegetable
never knowing how to get the delicate squash out of that that hard shell without completely butchering it
but I have always loved butternut squash soup, so I thought I would give it a try
just in the past two weeks, I have tried out two new recipes with it
adding it to pasta and stew and both times it turned out delicious
adds just a hint of sweetness and lots of squashy goodness (pun intended)
here are my favorite recipes I have tried so far
Butternut Squash Stew
tastes like curry and I added in some ground turkey for my husband
but either way I think it would be pretty filling
I loved the flavors of this and I am a sucker for anything with chickpeas in it
I will definitely make it again
the second recipe I made ( the squash was huge that I bought so it worked for two separate dinners) was this
Roasted Butternut Squash Baked Penne
tasted like macaroni and cheese, but healthier and more filling
enough said and I will definitely make this again as well
so there you have it, my new favorite

how about you? do you have any favorite vegetables you are loving right now? butternut squash perhaps?

snowed in

2012-01-20T21:14:53Z

We’ve been snowed in the past 4 days
I can’t believe how much snow we got..and it’s still here
been enjoying fires, hot chocolate, playing in the snow with Bear and catching up on the DVR
my fridge is running low though
and I could use a take out night
as in someone else makes dinner